Colgate-Palmolive Exec: Company Behind In Mobile Marketing
- by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, October 25, 2012
Like many companies, Colgate-Palmolive’s mobile marketing strategy isn’t where it should be, given consumers’ rapidly growing usage of
mobile platforms, says Jack Haber, C-P’s vice president, global advertising and digital.
It will take some time to get mobile “fully woven into the fabric” of the
company’s marketing activities, he added, speaking at the GroupM What’s Next conference Wednesday. One obstacle was resistance to change both within the company and within the larger
advertising and marketing community.
Haber likened the company’s attitude toward mobile today to skeptical attitudes that many inside the company held about the Internet as it was
emerging and had not yet become a consumer utility. “We need to get past that,” he said. Research that demonstrates the medium’s return on investment would help internally, he said.
C-P still spends roughly 80% of its advertising budget on TV, which he acknowledged was probably out of sync with the shifting media habits of consumers.
“We’re all
behind,” he said. “The industry is not as focused as it should be, especially among the creative ranks” at advertising agencies that for the most part remain fixated on TV, he said.
“People talk about integration, but it’s still TV first” at many ad shops. “We need to change that.”
“The consumers are setting the pace,” said
Haber, and they have embraced mobile devices far faster than the industry anticipated. “We’re trying to catch up,” he said, noting that C-P has made developing and implementing a
cohesive and integrated mobile strategy one of its top-10 global marketing priorities.
Mobile is critical in countries like the U.S. and the U.K., Haber said, because of rapidly escalating
consumer usage rates. He agreed with others at the conference that marketers and agencies should begin looking at mobile as “the first screen in a lot of ways. It’s the first thing we
touch in the morning and throughout the day.”
In some parts of many important overseas markets like China and India, mobile is not just the first screen, it’s the only screen.
Given the personal nature of mobile devices, Haber added, “it’s the closest you can get to people as a marketer.”
That said, Haber added that marketers have to be
sensitive to the personalized nature of mobile and ask themselves if their consumers “want ads on this screen” -- and if so, “how to interact with them. We have not figured it out
yet.”
C-P execs are right that companies that have yet to fully integrate mobile marketing into their advertising strategy need to do so-and FAST! Especially those companies trying to market specifically to the YAYA or Youth and Young Adult demographic, as its our primary screen. Research has even proven that as YAYAs we want to see advertisements on all of our screens, but only if those ads are well-targeted specifically to us. It lets us be a little lazy and show us options that we didn't originally know about. Come connect with us on our phones, most of us want you there!
Caitlin Reader
Copy Editor, Mojo Ad
www.mojo-ad.com
Mobile marketing is a whole different kettle of fish compared to normal advertising on the web. Simply replicating what you do on websites more often than not won't work for mobile.
The key here is to bring value directly to the consumer exactly when they need it. For example, help the customer make a buying decision right at the shelf by providing information, video or coupons that help the consumer overcome buying obstacles before they move on to other purchases or leave the store empty handed. Being able to modify mobile content quickly with an easy solution like a Mobile Content Management System makes managing this task easy for Marketing departments and agency managers to do it in house themselves. This is the exactly the market we serve best. http://www.snaplabmedia.com
I agree with what John said about bringing value directly to the consumer. Just because a company wants to make a quick payday doesn't they should take advantage of the mobile platform and bombard users with ads.
Getting bombarded with ads is very off putting. We deal with many large companies implimenting business telephone systems, with many switching from other VoIP providers whose apps were littered with obtrusive ads. Not a good look.
I think aiming to bombard people with ads is absolutely the wrong approach. Good advertising should be helpful to users and non-intrusive. Mobile is definitely the future though. The majority of internet activity will occur on hand held devices rather than desktops, laptops etc.
Looking to attack this space is most definitely the right move. Consumers should be allowed the choice to have ads or not, however.
Reply
I work in the payday loan niche where this kind of behaviour is rife. Many of the recipients are in a vulnerable position, and I consider it morally wrong to take advantage in this way. Tighter legislation is definitely required!
Across some of my websites I am seeing mobile browsers taking up around a 25-30% share mark and so there is no doubt that this mobile trend is growing and will continue moving forward. I have never personally liked to use mobile phones for web browsing. I can understand the desktop falling behind laptops over time, but browsing around on a tiny display screen isn't my idea of fun. Thanks for sharing Steve. All the best, Ryan.
I also work in the payday lending market and I have noticed significant growth in applications for short term loans from the mobile platform. It is going to be difficult for companies to work out how to implement advertising without detracting from the users experience.Good luck!
I also work in the payday industry and I'm finding that out of all the niches I've worked in payday tends to boast the most users accessing the sites via mobile devices.
Old post, but very informative.
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The mobile revolution with Google is upon us, they are rolling out the update as we speak that will favour mobile compatible websites in their search results. The [url=http://www.cushteecash.co.uk]payday loan market[/url] is competitive as has been pointed out and this will only add to the competition that is 'rife' as stated.
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I agree with Dale most users for <a href="http://cushteecash.co.uk/">online loans</a> use their mobile device, whether it's their phone or other tablet. This is only set to increase as more and more of these devices become the norm and desktops a thing of the past.
The consumer drives what the companies look to do - making a seemless and effortless journey for the customer is sure to lead to a better experience and possibly higher profits for the company involved. Companies that avoid the mobile devices do so at their peril. Companies that specialise in making sure other businesses websites are mobile ready are in for a big <a href="https://www.everythingloans.co.uk">payday</a> - that's for sure!
Old post but it goes without saying that if mobile isn't the first thing you think of, you're dead in the water.